Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The morning after the grand banquet arrived with the steady rhythm of forge hammers echoing through the city. The dark volcanic stone of the palace absorbed the heat of the magma rivers. Li Yu stepped out of his guest quarters and stretched his arms.

He pulled a token from his spatial ring. It was the communication device Old Du had given him. Li Yu channeled a small pulse of his Qi into the token and the token warmed in his palm. A faint connection formed across the void.

"Old Du." Li Yu spoke clearly. "We have finished our business in the Astral Gale Realm and we are currently back in the Kurogane Realm. Daiki secured what he needed. We are ready to return to The Veil whenever you can ferry us."

There was a brief moment of silence before the gravelly voice of the old ferryman echoed from the token.

"That is good news." Old Du replied. His voice sounded somewhat strained. "However, I have several urgent matters to attend to right now. I will come to get you in two days. Just wait for me at the Blood Iron Clan."

"We will be here." Li Yu confirmed.

The connection faded and the token grew cold. Li Yu walked across the courtyard and found Daiki sitting near the gnarled spiritual tree. The giant demon was already awake and polishing the sword he was going to gift Sora.

Li Yu relayed the message from Old Du. He expected Daiki to be anxious about the delay but his friend simply nodded with a calm expression.

"Two days is fine." Daiki said as he set the sword aside. "It gives me time to actually speak with my father. I spent my entire youth running from his lessons because I thought he was just trying to control me. I want to use this time to learn about the clan and rebuild our relationship before I leave again."

"That is a wise choice." Li Yu agreed with him. "You two have a lot of lost time to make up for. I will give you some space to talk. I think I will go find Elder Harrow and see if he wants to tour the city."

Daiki stood up and headed toward the central palace to find Tarkan. Li Yu walked in the opposite direction toward the guest wing where the Galeheart Academy recruiter was staying.

He navigated the dark stone corridors and eventually reached Harrow's assigned room. The door was wide open. Li Yu stepped into the doorway and saw Harrow frantically throwing robes and scrolls into a glowing spatial ring. The refined elder looked disheveled and he was sweating heavily.

"Good morning." Li Yu greeted him casually.

Harrow jumped in surprise and spun around. His eyes darted toward Li Yu and then quickly looked away. Harrow swallowed hard and forced a tight smile onto his face.

"Li Yu." Harrow said quickly. His voice pitched slightly higher than normal. "I was just packing my things."

"I see that." Li Yu leaned against the doorframe. "Daiki and I are staying here for two more days while we wait for our transportation. I thought you might want to spend some time exploring the place as well. We could visit the grand forges or sample some of the local wine."

Harrow shook his head rapidly. He grabbed a heavy ironbound book from the table and shoved it into his ring.

"I cannot." Harrow declined with a nervous stammer. "I remembered a very urgent matter back at the academy. The administrative council needs my final report on the tournament right away. The paperwork simply cannot wait another day. I must return to the Astral Gale Realm immediately."

Li Yu raised an eyebrow. The other elders from Galeheart had already returned to handle the official business. Harrow was explicitly assigned to be the liaison for Daiki. Fleeing the Kurogane Realm so abruptly made very little sense.

"Are you sure?" Li Yu asked. "Daiki might want to discuss his new Sovereign master with you before he leaves."

"He has my communication talisman." Harrow deflected while he walked toward the door. He kept a wide berth to avoid stepping too close to Li Yu. "He can reach me anytime. Please give Tarkan and Daiki my deepest apologies. I really must go."

Harrow squeezed past Li Yu and hurried down the corridor. He practically ran toward the palace teleportation array. Li Yu watched the elder disappear around the corner and shook his head in confusion. He had noticed Harrow acting strange around him but he still did not understand why the man was so skittish.

With Daiki busy and Harrow gone, Li Yu found himself with two free days to pass. He decided to leave and explore the city on his own. The clan was so large that they had established a city that they themselves ruled and controlled.

He walked down the wide stone steps of the main keep and entered the bustling city. The noise of thousands of forge hammers created a deafening and rhythmic symphony. He navigated through the crowded streets while observing the scarred and hardened citizens of the Blood Iron Clan. They moved with purpose but they were full of smiles.

Even though things were rough here, people were still happy. It could be seen that the living conditions here were great and the people well taken care of.

Meanwhile, Daiki found his father in the central war room.

Tarkan stood over a massive table forged from solid iron. A detailed map of the Kurogane Realm was etched into the metal surface. Glowing embers marked the territories of rival factions and active resource veins. Daiki walked into the room and stood beside his father.

"You did not leave." Tarkan noted without looking up from the map.

"Our transportation is delayed for two days." Daiki explained. He looked down at the complex borders etched into the iron. "I wanted to spend this time with you. I want to learn."

Tarkan finally looked up. A quiet sense of pride settled over his scarred features. He gestured to the sprawling map.

Stolen story; please report.

"Then look closely." Tarkan instructed. "This is the burden I carry every single day. This is what you ran away from."

For the next two days Daiki rarely left his father's side. Tarkan did not hold anything back. He explained the delicate web of alliances and rivalries that kept the Kurogane Realm from descending into total war. He detailed the trade routes the Blood Iron Clan depended on for food and spiritual resources.

Daiki learned about the frequent border skirmishes with the lesser demonic tribes in the southern ash wastes. He learned how much iron and weaponry they had to produce just to maintain their standing among the top ten factions.

Tarkan explained the true danger of the Hydra clan. They controlled the only stable supply of water related treasures in the western territories. The marriage alliance had not been about controlling Daiki as Daiki had thought many years ago. It had been a bid to secure trade routes, firm up borders and of course boost military might without shedding the blood of thousands of soldiers.

The heavy truth settled deep into Daiki's bones. He saw his father in a new light. Tarkan was not just a tyrant who enjoyed forcing his will upon others. Tarkan was a weary guardian trying to hold a violent empire together. Daiki realized how selfish his past actions had been but he also knew his new Sovereign backing provided a much better solution than the marriage ever could have.

While father and son rebuilt their fractured bond, Li Yu wandered around.

He followed the winding magma rivers until he found a sprawling subterranean bazaar known as the Deep Market. The air here was thick with steam and the scent of exotic spices. The vendors in this district did not sell standard swords or armor. They dealt in rare materials and strange creatures pulled from the volcanic depths of the realm.

Li Yu walked past stalls selling glowing subterranean moss and heavy chunks of unrefined star steel. His attention was soon drawn to a large merchant pavilion lined with massive glass tanks. The tanks were filled with boiling water and thick mineral sludge.

The merchant was a stout demon with missing tusks and a leather apron. He noticed Li Yu examining the tanks and offered a wide grin.

"Looking for something unique?" The merchant asked. "I deal in the hardiest aquatic lifeforms the Kurogane Realm has to offer. These creatures survive where the heat melts ordinary iron."

Li Yu nodded. "I am always looking for interesting species to populate the waters."

Li Yu walked down the row of reinforced tanks and studied the bizarre creatures within. These animals were forged by extreme pressure and lethal heat.

The first tank held a creature the merchant called a Slag Maw Glider. It was a flat ray-like animal composed of semi molten glass and flexible cartilage. It did not swim with fins. It glided effortlessly at the bottom of the tank. The creature consumed heat and excreted a trail of cooled and purified water behind it. Li Yu was fascinated by its natural filtration process.

He moved to the next tank and watched a terrifying predator. It was an Abyssal Razor Mantis. The crustacean was the size of a large dog. Its primary appendages were not made of shell but were formed from organic jagged steel. As Li Yu watched, the mantis struck a thick iron rod the merchant had dropped into the water. The steel appendages snapped forward with such velocity that it created a localized cavitation bubble. The iron rod shattered into pieces.

The third tank appeared empty at first glance. Li Yu only saw a metallic rock resting in the sludge. Suddenly the rock bloomed open to reveal a glowing fiery core. It was a Furnace Belly Anemone. It was a stationary predator that resembled a submerged forge. The merchant dropped a small dead fish into the tank. The anemone lured the fish close with its glowing core and the heavy iron petals snapped shut in an instant. It smelted the catch into pure spiritual energy right before his eyes.

"I will take those three." Li Yu said as he pointed to the tanks.

He continued down the line and found more incredible species. One tank held a swirling mass of tiny ancient arthropods. They were Cinder Swarm Trilobites. They possessed flat bodies and segmented obsidian shells. There were hundreds of them moving in perfect unison. They looked like a flowing underwater river of ash. The merchant explained that they fed exclusively on the kinetic energy of harsh water currents.

Nearby a translucent bell shaped creature pulsed with a rhythmic glow. It was a Molten Core Jelly. It did not have traditional organs. It housed a literal sphere of liquid magma at the center of its transparent body. It propelled itself through the water by venting precise jets of pressurized steam from its base.

Li Yu purchased them both. He wanted to see how they would adapt to the deeper and harsher thermal pools within his Koi Sanctuary.

The final two creatures he found were equally bizarre. The Iron Thread Weaver was a heavily armored aquatic arachnid. It was busy spinning webs between two volcanic rocks in its tank. The silk it produced was a flexible and rust proof iron thread. It used the metallic webs to trap heavy debris and careless prey.

The last tank held a Sulfuric Crystal Borer. It resembled a heavily armored centipede. It possessed a terrifying drill like maw. Li Yu watched as the creature bored directly into a solid piece of underwater volcanic rock. It digested the raw minerals from the stone and excreted glowing spiritual crystals from its tail section. It was a living mining tool.

Li Yu finalized his purchases. He paid the merchant a hefty sum of spirit stones and gathered the specialized tanks.

He found a quiet alleyway and opened a portal. He found a more volcanic area within and released the creatures into the scalding water. The Slag Maw Glider immediately settled over a heat vent. The Cinder Swarm Trilobites formed a dark flowing river along the rocky bottom.

The Molten Core Jelly pulsed with bright orange light as it jetted through the deep pool. They were beginning to adapt to their new home. Li Yu smiled and closed the portal. His sanctuary was growing more diverse with every realm he visited.

The two days passed quickly. Daiki and Tarkan spent the entire time together. They discussed strategies and shared meals in the private study. Daiki shared the cultivation techniques he had learned and Tarkan offered guidance on leadership. The lingering resentment from the past was replaced by a strong foundation of mutual respect. It wasn’t perfect but they were both making steps in the right direction.

On the morning of the third day the sky above the capital shifted. Li Yu and Daiki stood in the central courtyard of the palace. Tarkan stood before them clad in his dark armor. The air shimmered slightly and a subtle tear in space opened above the glowing magma pools.

Old Du stepped out of the rift. The ferryman wore his tattered grey robes and held his long wooden oar. His presence was unassuming but Tarkan recognized the danger the old man represented. The Clan Lord offered a respectful nod to the ferryman.

"It is time to go." Old Du said with his gravelly voice. He looked at Daiki. "You did not let that girl down. Good job."

"I was fortunate enough to procure what was needed." Daiki confirmed. He patted his spatial ring where the three medicines were safely stored. Daiki turned to face his father one last time. He did not bow to him. He extended his massive crimson hand.

Tarkan gripped his son's forearm firmly. It was a warrior's farewell.

"Lead the clan well, father." Daiki said earnestly. "I will return when my path allows it."

"Focus on your own path first." Tarkan replied with a steady voice. He released his grip and took a step back. "Keep your will firm and remember what I said. Bring Sora here when she is healed. The Blood Iron Clan will welcome her as a true daughter."

Daiki smiled brightly. The validation still felt incredible.

"I will." Daiki promised.

He turned around and walked toward the spatial tear. Li Yu followed close behind. They stepped into the rift and got into the boat. The ferryman tapped his wooden oar against the invisible current of the void.

The space around them warped and folded. Daiki was finally heading back to The Veil. He was going to save the woman he loved.